EVERYONE IS UNDER THE WEATHER - SICK OF THE HEAT.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

What do you do when it's too hot for words, too hot for reason and too hot for common sense?

On the third day of a heat wave Wednesday, San Fernando Valley residents lingered at the office, hid among the ice rinks, super-sized their sodas and piled down the ice cream.

``Yeah, ice cream - uh, gelato,'' said Wendy Newton, 14, of Valley Glen, scarfing down a double chocolate-chip and hazelnut cup at Aromi Cafe in Sherman Oaks where outdoors the temperature soared beyond 100 degrees.

``Brain freeze.''

While scorched Californians sought cool relief, state power officials called a Stage Two alert - the first since the energy crisis early last year - as air conditioners running full blast from San Fernando to San Francisco sapped power reserves below 5 percent.

In sun-baked Southern California, air quality officials issued ``very unhealthful'' smog warnings as firefighters remained especially vigilant during the driest season in three decades.

Some Angelenos working outdoors simply cursed the sky, wishing they were anyplace but the Valley.

``It's hard to breathe,'' complained Ruben Ortiz, a Federal Express driver forced to to schlep packages to more than 100 Valley stops.

``It's terrible,'' said Louise Pages, 75, who'd left her temperate Playa del Rey digs to visit a friend in Tarzana. ``I hate coming to the Valley. I used to live in Encino for three years. It's hot!''

Temperatures hit triple digits in Woodland Hills at 105 degrees, Chatsworth at 102 degrees, Van Nuys at 100 degrees, Newhall at 103 and Palmdale at 107. Simi Valley fell short at only 99 degrees.

In Lancaster, the heat set records for the second consecutive day.

Tuesday's temperature was 112, topping the previous post-1974 overall high of 110.

``It is hot,'' said Principal Melinda Keenan at Lancaster's El Dorado School, where youngsters kept indoors at recess and lunchtime watched Mickey Mouse and Scooby Doo cartoons while eating lunch.

Relief, however, could be on its way, according to a National Weather Service.

Weather specialist Stuart Seto said the Valley will see a 2- to 3-degree drop in temperature over the next few days. By Tuesday, the mercury should drop to a comfortable mid-80s to mid-90s.

Also, some midlevel moisture will be rolling in as the high-pressure system moves east, making for a 20-percent chance of thunderstorms in mountain areas, Seto said.

``The moisture will help lower the temperatures,'' Seto said. ``This heat has been a bit unusual, even though the Valley is known to be hot. Usual summer temperatures range between the mid-90s and low 100s. To hit 105 at Pierce College is a bit high.''

Weather officials advised residents to beat the heat by consuming less protein, which increases the body's metabolic heat production, and compensating for water loss. Health officials advised drinking lots of water, dressing cool, staying out of the sun - or leaving the Valley for the beach, if necessary.

Power officials declared a ``Power Watch'' this week as Gov. Gray Davis urged Californians on Wednesday to conserve electricity to help avert blackouts.

California's Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power grid, declared a Stage Two alert - calling on ``interruptible'' industrial and commercial power users to scale back electricity use.

``Operating reserves on the state's grid continues to be narrow as the state and most of the West enter Day Two of an intense heat wave,'' the Cal-ISO reported. ``Conservation is critical in helping to maintain grid reliability.''

California has 13 more power plants in operation than it had during the energy crisis last year, when blackouts caused havoc for the state's private utility users. No rolling blackout warnings were issued Wednesday.

In Los Angeles, Department of Water and Power General Manager David Wiggs on Wednesday predicted ample power supplies for L.A. residents this summer but cautioned residents to cut back on energy use.

``Barring a catastrophe, we should be in good shape to be certain there are no outages for our customers this entire summer,'' said Wiggs during a press conference downtown. ``We want to urge all of our customers to please use this power wisely.''

The DWP, which is independent of the state power grid, agreed to sell 650 megawatts of power to the state Department of Water Resources for three hours Wednesday to aid private utility companies. It also sold 50 megawatts to Glendale and 30 megawatts to the Imperial Irrigation District along the Mexican border.

The energy was enough to power the air conditioners of an estimated 650,000 homes.

Los Angeles city and county firefighters, while falling short of a red- flag alert, were on a heightened fire watch Wednesday as the heat continued desiccating the area's brush vegetation, some the driest in 30 years.

During a red-flag alert, issued when the wind tops 25 mph and humidity dips below 15 percent, firefighters from low-brush areas of the city will deploy in forested areas such as Sunland-Tujunga or Chatsworth.

So far, the city has been lucky and not experienced brush fires in the same numbers and severity as the county, said city Fire Department spokesman Bob Collis, ``but I think it's just a matter of time.''

While firefighters fretted over the possibility of a superblaze, residents sought relief in malls, yogurt shops and ice rinks.

A blast of cool air greeted everyone who walked into Burbank's Pickwick Ice Center and Sport Shop, where a steady 50 degrees prompted skaters to don sweat shirts, knit caps and mittens.

``I walked in and I was like ... whoa!'' said Darryl Davis, whose 5-year-old daughter, Adore, was getting her first ice skating lesson Wednesday.

``This is a good way to spend the afternoon,'' said Esther Markel, a camp counselor overseeing more than 60 children from Panorama City-based Camp Keshat.

Leo Archibeque and Ruth Saiz of New Mexico - who stood inside the rink not to skate but only to escape the ovenlike conditions outdoors - said they found the L.A. heat insufferable.

``It's hot in Albuquerque, but it's not this hot,'' Saiz said. ``Forget about sightseeing. We may spend the whole afternoon here.''

Many, however, simply dove into an ice cream, gelato or trough of frozen yogurt - any debate over which one was best be danged.

``It's the natural thing to do,'' said Nannette Klein, 39, who had driven with her two young daughters from Calabasas to Encino to slurp a blueberry and Milky Way fudge CarboLite combination at Yoghurt Zone.

``Unbelievable.''

``It's hot,'' said Ron Haslam, 55, staring into the 31 flavors at Baskin Robbins of Encino. Give me a smoothie, he said finally, deciding against a thirst-inducing cone.

``The biggest one you make - El Largo.''

Staff Writers Susan Abram, Troy Anderson, Chuck Bostwick, Jason Kandel and Ryan Oliver contributed to this report.

KEEP COOL

Extreme heat can be very dangerous, especially for seniors and children. Here is a list of tips on how to stay cool and comfortable in the summer heat.

--Wear light, loose-fitting clothing.

--Drink water often, not just when you are thirsty.

--Improve ventilation if you feel overheated. Open a window or use a fan or air conditioner.

--Stay in an air-conditioned or cooler area, such as a mall, park or library during the hottest hours of the day.

--Avoid unnecessary exertion if you are outside or in a building that is not air-conditioned.

--Avoid unnecessary exposure to the sun and direct sunlight.

--If you take medication, ask your physician whether you need to modify its use because of the heat.

--If you know seniors or people whose immune or respiratory systems are not working properly, check on them regularly.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Kidsville USA counselor Mori Amirhajebi, 25, swims alongside 6-year-old camper Nicole Burgos at El Cariso Pool in Sylmar.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) At The Boulevard School in Woodland Hills, Jacob Gaines, 4, laughs Wednesday as the snowball he tossed hits his target.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

Box:

KEEP COOL (see text)

Source: Los Angeles County Department of Health Services